Athletics at the 1952 Helsinki Summer Games | Olympics at Sports-Reference.com Athletics at the 1952 Helsinki Summer Games Date Started: July 20, 1952 Date Finished: July 27, 1952 Events: 33 Participants: 963 (776 men and 187 women) from 57 countries Youngest Participant: Barbara Jones (15 years, 124 days) Oldest Participant: John Deni (49 years, 75 days) Most Medals (Athlete): 3 athletes with 3 medals Most Medals (Country): United States (31 medals) Overview The world had not recovered somewhat from the ravages of World War II, and the level of athletics competition was increasing yearly. The 1952 Olympics saw the début of athletes from the Soviet Union, who had competed at the 1946 and 1950 European Championships, but had passed on the 1948 Olympics, for rather Byzantine reasons. Germany also competed again, after they were not invited in 1948.

Titularly Germany was to be represented by a combined team from East and West Germany, but the German team was entirely from West Germany, as the East Germans refused to compete alongside their Western counterparts. The 1952 Olympics were opened by two Finnish track legends. The torch was brought into the stadium at the Opening Ceremony by [Paavo Nurmi], the greatest athletic star in the Finnish pantheon. He then handed it to [Hannes Kolehmainen] , winner of the 5K and 10K in 1912 and the marathon in 1920, who lit the Olympic Flame. Having been opened by distance runners, it was fitting that the Helsinki Olympics were the private party of the great Czechoslovakian runner, [Emil Zátopek]. Zátopek won the 5,000/10,000 double in dominating fashion. He had never before run a marathon, but elected to enter that race as well, and won quite easily, completeing a unique Olympic distance triple. His family did quite well, as his wife, Dana Zátopková, won the women’s javelin gold medal.

The German team won no events, but collected two silvers and three bronze medals. The Soviet men did won any gold medals, but [Galina Zybina] won the shot put and [Nina Romashkova-Ponomaryova] the discus throw. Medalists A Sports Reference Site : About SR/Olympics | Privacy Statement | Conditions & Terms of Service | Use of Data Data provided by OlyMADMen , led by Hilary Evans, Arild Gjerde, Jeroen Heijmans, and Bill Mallon. Members: David Foster, Martin Frank, Jørn Jensen, Carl-Johan Johansson, Taavi Kalju, Martin Kellner, George Masin, Stein Opdahl, Wolf Reinhardt, Ralf Regnitter, Paul Tchir, Magne Teigen, Christian Tugnoli, Morten Aarlia Torp, and Ralf Schlüter. Sports Reference LLC and are not sponsored by or affiliated with the Olympics, the United States Olympic Committee or the International Olympic Committee. Trademarks featured or referred to on this website are the property of their respective trademark holders and not Sports Reference LLC or .

Part of the Emil Zátopek - 必应 Sign in Emil Zátopek Emil Zátopek (Czech pronunciation: [ˈɛmɪl ˈzaːtopɛk] ( listen); 19 September 1922 – 22 November 2000) was a Czechoslovak long-distance runner best known for winning three gold medals at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. He won gold in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres runs, but his final medal came when he decided at the last minute to compete in the first marathon of his life. He was nicknamed the "Czech Locomotive". Zátopek was the first athlete to break the 29-minute barrier in the 10,000 metres (in 1954). Three years earlier, in 1951, he had broken the hour for running 20 km. He is widely ... (展开) considered to be one of the greatest runners of the 20th century and was also known for his brutally tough training methods. He was the instigator of interval training and hypoventilation training.

In February 2013, the editors at Runner's World Magazine selected him as the Greatest Runner of All Time. He is the only person to win the 5,000 metres, 10,000 metres, and marathon in the same Olympics. Emil Zátopek Early years Zátopek was the sixth child in a modest family. Aged 16, he began working in a Bata shoe factory in Zlín. Zátopek says that "One day, the factory sports coach, who was very strict, pointed at four boys, including me, and ordered us to run in a race. I protested that I was weak and not fit to run, but the coach sent me for a physical examination, and the doctor said that I was perfectly well. So I had to run, and when I got started, I felt I wanted to win. But I only came in second. That was the way it started." Zátopek finished second out of the field of 100. After that point, he began to take a serious interest in running.

He joined the local athletic club, where he developed his own training program, modelled on what he had read about the great Finnish Olympian Paavo Nurmi. A mere four years later, in 1944, Zátopek broke the Czechoslovak records for 2,000, 3,000 and 5,000 metres. At the end of the war he joined the Czechoslovak Army, where he was gradually given more time for his gruelling training regimen. Emil Zátopek Competitions Zátopek was selected for the Czechoslovak national team for the 1946 European Championships and finished fifth in the 5,000 m in 14:25.8, breaking his own Czechoslovak record of 14:50.2. At the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, Zátopek won the 10,000 m (his second race at that distance) and finished second behind Gaston Reiff from Belgium in the 5,000 m.

The following year Zátopek broke the 10,000 m world record twice, and went on to better his own record three times over the next four seasons. He also set records in the 5,000 m (1954), 20,000 m (twice in 1951), one-hour run (twice in 1951), 25,000 m (1952 and 1955), and 30,000 m (1952). He won the 5,000 m and 10,000 m at the 1950 European Championships and the 10,000 m at the next European Championships, ahead of Jozsef Kovacs and Frank Sando. At the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Zátopek won gold in the 5,000 m, 10,000 m, and the marathon, breaking Olympic records in each event.

It is interesting to note that Zatopek is the only person in Olympic history to win these three long distance events in the same Olympiad. His victory in the 5,000 m came after a ferocious last lap in 57.5 seconds, during which he went from fourth place to first in the final turn, passing first Alain Mimoun of France, then Herbert Schade of West Germany and finally Chris Chataway of Great Britain. Zátopek's final medal came when he decided at the last minute to compete in the marathon for the first time in his life, and won. His strategy for the marathon was simple: he raced alongside Jim Peters, the British world-record holder. After a punishing first fifteen kilometres in which Peters knew he had overtaxed himself, Zátopek asked the Englishman what he thought of the race thus far. The astonished Peters told the Czech that the pace was "too slow," in an attempt to slip up Zátopek, at which point Zátopek simply accelerated. Peters did not finish, while Zátopek won the race setting an Olympic record.

Zátopek attempted to defend his marathon gold medal in 1956; however, he suffered a groin injury while training and was hospitalized for six weeks. He resumed training the day after leaving the hospital, but never quite regained his form. He finished sixth in the marathon, which was won by his old rival and friend Alain Mimoun. Zátopek retired from competition in 1957. Zátopek's running style was distinctive and very much at odds with what was considered to be an efficient style at the time. His head would often roll, face contorted with effort, while his torso swung from side to side. He often wheezed and panted audibly while running, which earned him the nicknames of "Emil the Terrible" or the "Czech Locomotive". When asked about his tortured facial expressions, Zátopek is said to have replied that "It isn't gymnastics or figure skating, you know." In addition he would train in any weather, including snow, and would often do so while wearing heavy work boots as opposed to special running shoes. He was always willing to give advice to other runners.

One example he often gave was always to be relaxed and to help ensure that while running, gently touch the tip of your thumb with the tip of your index or middle finger. Just making that slight contact would ensure that arms and shoulders remained relaxed. Emil Zátopek Later years A hero in his native country, Zátopek was an influential figure in the Communist Party. However, he supported the party's democratic wing, and after the 1968 Prague Spring, he was stripped of his rank and expelled from the army and the party, removed from all important positions and forced to work in a string of inferior and dangerous positions, such as a uranium mine, refuse collection service, and well digging. On 9 March 1990, Zátopek was rehabilitated by Václav Havel. Zátopek died in Prague on 22 November 2000 at the age of 78, after a long illness. His funeral at Prague's National Theatre was crowded with leading figures from the international sports world. He was awarded the Pierre de Coubertin medal posthumously in December 2000.

In 2012, he was named among the first twelve athletes to be inducted into the IAAF Hall of Fame. A life-size bronze statue of Zátopek was unveiled at the Stadium of Youth in Zlín in September 2014. Emil Zátopek Personal life His wife Dana Zátopková (born the same day and year as her husband) won a gold medal in the javelin throw at the 1952 Olympics, only a few moments after Emil's victory in the 5 km run; she finished second at the 1960 Olympics. An example of the playful relationship between husband and wife came when Emil attempted to take some credit for his wife's Olympic victory at her press conference, claiming that it was his victory in the 5,000 m that had "inspired" her. Dana's indignant response was, "Really? Okay, go inspire some other girl and see if she throws a javelin fifty metres!". Known for his friendly and gregarious personality, and with the ability to speak six languages, Zátopek was regularly visited at his home in Prague by international athletes he had befriended at competitions.

His British rival Gordon Pirie described it as "the merriest and gayest home I've been in". Emil and Dana were the witnesses at the wedding ceremony of Olympic gold medalists Olga Fikotová and Harold Connolly in Prague in 1957. Emil had spoken to the Czechoslovak president Antonín Zápotocký to request help in getting national heroine Olga a permit to marry the American Connolly, at the height of the Cold War. While it's not clear how much this helped, they unexpectedly received a permit a few days later. In 1968 Zátopek invited the Australian Ron Clarke to visit his home. Zátopek knew the bad luck that Clarke had faced; he held many middle distance track and field world records and had attempted to join his idol in the record books but fallen short in winning an Olympic gold medal. At the end of the visit, Zátopek gave his 10,000 m gold medal from the 1952 Olympics to Clarke. ^ a b c d Emil Zátopek. sports-reference.com ^ "Emil Zatopek: The Greatest Champion? – General – Runner's World".

Runnersworld.co.uk. Retrieved 12 May 2014. ^ "Greatest Runner" (PDF). Retrieved 12 May 2014. ^ ""All of them oddballs: Angus Calder sees the diversity of life", ''The National Post''". Robertfulford.com. 30 March 2004. Retrieved 12 May 2014. ^ "''Runner's World'' quote webpage". Web.archive.org. 21 August 2006. Retrieved 12 May 2014. ^ a b c d e f g h Burnton, Simon (22 June 2012). "50 stunning Olympic moments No 41: Emil Zatopek the triple-gold winner". The Guardian. ^ "Owens, Nurmi among first in IAAF Hall of Fame". Reuters. 8 March 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2012. ^ Willoughby, Ian (16 September 2014). "Statute of Zátopek unveiled at Zlín sports stadium". Radio Prague. Retrieved 16 November 2014.

^ Vzpomínáček – 19. září – Dana Zátopková a Emil Zátopek. santroch.blog.idnes.cz ^ "Olga Fikotová-Connolly: 1956 Olympic champion dubbed "traitor" in communist Czechoslovakia over romance with US athlete". Radio.cz. 30 April 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2014. Athletics: Zatopek: `human locomotive' who made Olympic history - Telegraph Athletics: Zatopek: `human locomotive' who made Olympic history By Tom Knight 9:25PM GMT 23 Nov 2000 EMIL ZATOPEK, the four-time Olympic gold medallist and arguably the world's greatest ever distance runner , has died in Prague at the age of 78 following a long illness. The former Czech army colonel, who was hospitalised with a viral infection in early September, suffered from pneumonia and heart problems before succumbing last month to a stroke. He is survived by his wife, Dana.

Zatopek dominated distance running in the years between the London Olympics of 1948, when he became the first runner to win a gold medal for Czechoslovakia, and the Games four years later in Helsinki, where he became the first and only man to complete the clean sweep of the 5,000 metres, 10,000 metres and, in his first attempt at the event, the marathon . His dominance was such that he won 38 consecutive 10,000 metre races between May 1948 and July 1954 - including 11 in 1949 alone - and broke the world record on five occasions, improving it by more than 40sec. He broke 18 world records in all. Self-coached and nicknamed "the human locomotive", Zatopek was equally famous for his ungainly running style. With his arms flaying, head rolling and his tongue often hanging from one side of his mouth, Zatopek's agonised expression suggested he was in constant pain.

Related Articles 31 December 1998: Emil Zatopek: True Olympian who carried his prestige with modesty 23 Nov 2000 16 September 2000: 21 July 1952: Zatopek storms home in Olympic 10,000 metres 23 Nov 2000 But he made no excuses for his lack of finesse. He once said: "It is not gymnastics or ice skating, you know." His approach to training was equally unorthodox. His phenomenal performances were the result of a punishing regime, involving runs of 15 miles a day and gruelling track sessions, often completed in his army boots to make his feet feel lighter on race day. His methods even included holding his breath until he almost passed out. He was 30 by the time he went to Helsinki for the 1952 Olympics.

With the schedule allowing him to try all three distance events, Zatopek first won the 10,000 metres by 16sec and took the 5,000 title in a thrilling sprint finish before lining up, three days later, for the marathon. As a novice in a field of proven marathon runners, Zatopek made a point of introducing himself to Jim Peters, the British world record holder, on the start line. He duly followed Peters for 10 miles before asking: "Jim, the pace - is it too fast?" When Peters jokingly replied: "Emil, the pace - it is too slow," Zatopek responded by going past the Briton to secure his third victory and third Olympic record of the Games . There to meet him at the finish was Dana, the team-mate he had married shortly after the London Games and who had earlier won the women's javelin title. Juan Antonio Samaranch, the president of the International Olympic Committee, recently referred to those Games when he was asked for his favourite Olympic memory, mainly because of the sound of a packed stadium in Helsinki chanting Zatopek's name as he entered the arena.

After his last race in 1957, Zatopek remained a national icon, and it was his resistance to the Russian invasion of 1968, that led to his dismissal from the army and the wilderness years when he was forced to take menial, demanding work, which left him with an irregular heartbeat. The tributes to Zatopek's achievements, both on and off the track, were led by Sir Chris Chataway, who was 21 when he led into the home straight at the end of the 1952 Olympic 5,000m final before falling. He described Zatopek as an athlete who revolutionised distance running. Said Chataway: " Even if I hadn't fallen, Zatopek would have won . He was invincible. His training was a world away from what we were doing and not far off what athletes are doing now.

He was very approachable, and I remember him as an excellent human being, who showed great courage and paid for it." 1952 Olympics 1952 Olympics Sailing The Soviet Union returned to the Olympic fold in 1952 after a 40-year absence, a period of time that included a revolution and two world wars. Ironically, the Soviets chose to make their comeback in Finland, a country they had invaded twice during World War II. This time it was the United States that was surprised by the Soviets, and the USA had to scramble on the last day of competition to hold off the USSR's assault on first place in the overall standings. It was the beginning of an all-consuming 36-year Cold War rivalry. Despite the Soviets' impressive debut, it was a Communist from another Iron Curtain country who turned in the most memorable individual performance of the Games. Emil Zátopek of Czechoslovakia, the 10,000-meter champion in London, not only repeated at 10,000 meters, but also won at 5,000 and in the marathon–an event he had never run before.

He also set Olympic records in each race and topped it off by watching his wife Dana Zátopková win the women's javelin. Zátopek's unique triple was wildly applauded by the distance-minded Finns, but their greatest outburst came in the opening ceremonies when legendary countryman Paavo Nurmi, now 56, ran into the stadium with the Olympic torch and handed it off to another native legend Hannes Kolehmainen, now 62, who lit the flame to start the Games. Also, Harrison Dillard of the U.S. won the 110-meter hurdles. In 1948, Dillard, the world's best hurdler, failed to qualify for the hurdles and won the 100-meter dash instead.

1952 Helsinki Summer Games | Olympics at Sports-Reference.com 1952 Helsinki Summer Games Host City: Helsinki, Finland (July 14, 1952 to August 3, 1952) Opening Ceremony: July 19, 1952 (opened by President Juho Kusti Paasikivi) Lighter of the Olympic Flame: Hannes Kolehmainen Taker of the Olympic Oath: Heikki Savolainen (athlete) Closing Ceremony: August 3, 1952 Events: 149 in 19 sports Participants: 4,932 (4,411 men and 521 women) from 69 countries Youngest Participant: William Horton, Jr. (13 years, 57 days) Oldest Participant: Charles Lucas (66 years, 7 days) Most Medals (Athlete): United States (76 medals) Overview In 1952, the biggest news from Helsinki was that the Soviets were coming. After the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, the USSR had not competed in the Olympics until the Helsinki Games.

The world braced for the athletic battles between the Soviet Union and the United States – in effect, a cold-war Olympics. The Soviets were accorded one rather unusual allowance. They were set up in a separate Olympic Village and housed only with athletes from the Eastern Bloc countries of Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, and Czechoslovakia. » Click to show/hide rest of overview Other political problems were becoming more difficult for the IOC to manage. The IOC had to face the question of the two-Germanies, the two-Koreas, and the two-Chinas. The only resolution in 1952 began when Germany was allowed to compete with a combined East and West team, although the team had no athletes from East Germany in 1952. The opening ceremonies were at first interrupted by a rather obese young girl in long, flowing robes, who ran round the track, to the extent that she could, ascended the official rostrum and began a peace speech. She was quickly removed. This set the stage for the moment that no Finn present will ever forget. It is always an exciting moment when the Olympic torch enters the stadium.

In 1952 the excitement was palpable when the Finnish crowd realized that the torchbearer was the Finnish hero of heroes, [Paavo Nurmi]. Although now a 55-year-old, Nurmi carried the torch on high and still had the very familiar stride. Not only the crowd, but even the athletes were excited. They broke ranks to run to the side of the track to get closer to the distance running legend. At the end of one circuit of the track, Nurmi handed the torch to [Hannes Kolehmainen], second only to Nurmi among the Finnish pantheon of sporting heroes. The 62-year-old Kolehmainen ascended the stairs of the stadium and lit the Olympic flame at the top of the tower. Given that the Games were opened by two of the greatest distance runners ever, it was fitting that the 1952 Olympics were dominated by a distance runner who even surpassed a few of their feats. [Emil Zátopek], the Czech who had won the [10,000 metres] in 1948, was by now the greatest distance runner in the world.

He entered the [5,000] and [10,000 metres] and won both of them rather easily. His wife, [Dana Zátopková], also won a gold medal in the [women's javelin throw]. Legend has it that Emil stated that the family battle for gold medals was too close, only 2-1, and so he would win another in the [marathon]. He had never before run a marathon. Still, the extra distance did not deter Zátopek. He was running with the favored [Jim Peters] of Great Britain for the first half of the race when he turned to Peters and asked him if the pace wasn't a bit slow. With no reply, Zátopek took off and was never seen again by Peters. Zátopek won the race by over 2½ minutes, while Peters failed to finish. The Americans and the Soviets met several times in these Olympics, most notably in the boxing ring. In 1952 the Americans had the best of it, though the Soviets would improve in the coming years.

The press made a big thing out of the medal counts, which were led early by the Soviet Union, although the United States eventually won the most. This too would change in Olympics to come. Country Medal Leaders A Sports Reference Site : About SR/Olympics | Privacy Statement | Conditions & Terms of Service | Use of Data Data provided by OlyMADMen , led by Hilary Evans, Arild Gjerde, Jeroen Heijmans, and Bill Mallon. Members: David Foster, Martin Frank, Jørn Jensen, Carl-Johan Johansson, Taavi Kalju, Martin Kellner, George Masin, Stein Opdahl, Wolf Reinhardt, Ralf Regnitter, Paul Tchir, Magne Teigen, Christian Tugnoli, Morten Aarlia Torp, and Ralf Schlüter. Sports Reference LLC and are not sponsored by or affiliated with the Olympics, the United States Olympic Committee or the International Olympic Committee. Trademarks featured or referred to on this website are the property of their respective trademark holders and not Sports Reference LLC or . Part of the Emil Zátopek - Wikipedia, Photos and Videos Emil Zátopek NEXT GO TO RESULTS [51 ..

100] WIKIPEDIA ARTICLE "Zapotek" redirects here. It is not to be confused with Zapotec . Emil Zátopek 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) Weight listen ) ; 19 September 1922 – 22 November 2000) was a Czechoslovak long-distance runner best known for winning three gold medals at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki . He won gold in the 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres runs, but his final medal came when he decided at the last minute to compete in the first marathon of his life. [1] He was nicknamed the "Czech Locomotive". Zátopek was the first runner to break the 29-minute barrier in the 10,000 metres (in 1954). Three years earlier, in 1951, he had broken the hour for running 20 km. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest runners of the 20th century and was also known for his brutally tough training methods. He was the instigator of interval training and hypoventilation training .

[2] In February 2013, the editors at Runner's World Magazine selected him as the Greatest Runner of All Time. [3] He is the only person to win the 5,000 metres, 10,000 metres, and marathon in the same Olympics. Contents Early years[ edit ] Zátopek was the sixth child in a modest family. Aged 16, he began working in a Bata [4] shoe factory in Zlín . Zátopek says that "One day, the factory sports coach, who was very strict, pointed at four boys, including me, and ordered us to run in a race. I protested that I was weak and not fit to run, but the coach sent me for a physical examination, and the doctor said that I was perfectly well. So I had to run, and when I got started, I felt I wanted to win. But I only came in second. That was the way it started." [5] Zátopek finished second out of the field of 100. After that point, he began to take a serious interest in running.

He joined the local athletic club, where he developed his own training program, modelled on what he had read about the great Finnish Olympian Paavo Nurmi . [6] A mere four years later, in 1944, Zátopek broke the Czechoslovak records for 2,000, 3,000 and 5,000 metres. At the end of the war he joined the Czechoslovak Army , where he was gradually given more time for his gruelling training regimen. [6] Competitions[ edit ] Zátopek was selected for the Czechoslovak national team for the 1946 European Championships in Oslo and finished fifth in the 5,000 m in 14:25.8, breaking his own Czechoslovak record of 14:50.2. At the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, Zátopek won the 10,000 m and finished second behind Gaston Reiff from Belgium during a driving rainstorm in the 5,000 m. Zátopek displaying his trademark expression of pain (1951).

This was a classic example of sandbagging other competitors. The following year Zátopek broke the 10,000 m world record twice, and went on to better his own record three times over the next four seasons. He also set records in the 5,000 m (1954), 20,000 m (twice in 1951), one-hour run (twice in 1951), 25,000 m (1952 and 1955), and 30,000 m (1952). He won the 5,000 m and 10,000 m at the 1950 European Championships and the 10,000 m at the next European Championships, ahead of Jozsef Kovacs and Frank Sando . At the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki , Zátopek won gold in the 5,000 m, 10,000 m, and the marathon, breaking Olympic records in each event.

Zátopek is the only person to win these three long distance events in the same Olympic games. His victory in the 5,000 m came after a ferocious last lap in 57.5 seconds, during which he went from fourth place to first in the final turn, passing first Alain Mimoun of France, then Herbert Schade of West Germany and finally Chris Chataway of Great Britain. Zátopek's final medal came when he decided at the last minute to compete in the marathon for the first time in his life, and won. His strategy for the marathon was simple: he raced alongside Jim Peters , the British world-record holder. After a punishing first fifteen kilometres in which Peters knew he had overtaxed himself, Zátopek asked the Englishman what he thought of the race thus far. The astonished Peters told the Czech that the pace was "too slow," in an attempt to slip up Zátopek, at which point Zátopek simply accelerated. Peters did not finish, while Zátopek won the race and set an Olympic record.

[6] Zátopek attempted to defend his marathon gold medal in 1956; however, he suffered a groin injury while training and was hospitalized for six weeks. He resumed training the day after leaving the hospital, but never quite regained his form. He finished sixth in the marathon, [6] which was won by his old rival and friend Alain Mimoun . Zátopek retired from competition in 1957. Zátopek's running style was distinctive and very much at odds with what was considered to be an efficient style at the time. His head would often roll, face contorted with effort, while his torso swung from side to side. He often wheezed and panted audibly while running, which earned him the nicknames of "Emil the Terrible" or the "Czech Locomotive". When asked about his tortured facial expressions, Zátopek is said to have replied that "It isn't gymnastics or figure skating, you know." In addition he would train in any weather, including snow, and would often do so while wearing heavy work boots as opposed to special running shoes. He was always willing to give advice to other runners.

One example he often gave was always to be relaxed and to help ensure that while running, gently touch the tip of your thumb with the tip of your index or middle finger. Just making that slight contact would ensure that arms and shoulders remained relaxed. Personal life[ edit ] His wife Dana Zátopková (born the same day and year as her husband) won a gold medal in the javelin throw at the 1952 Olympics, only a few moments after Emil's victory in the 5 km run; she finished second at the 1960 Olympics. An example of the playful relationship between husband and wife came when Emil attempted to take some credit for his wife's Olympic victory at her press conference, claiming that it was his victory in the 5,000 m that had "inspired" her. Dana's indignant response was, "Really? Okay, go inspire some other girl and see if she throws a javelin fifty metres!". [7] Zátopek was known for his friendly and gregarious personality and for his ability to speak six languages. He was regularly visited at his home in Prague by international athletes he had befriended at competitions.

His British rival Gordon Pirie described it as "the merriest and gayest home I've been in". [6] Emil and Dana were the witnesses at the wedding ceremony of Olympic gold medalists Olga Fikotová and Harold Connolly in Prague in 1957. Emil had spoken to the Czechoslovak president Antonín Zápotocký to request help in getting national heroine Olga a permit to marry the American Connolly, at the height of the Cold War . While it's not clear how much this helped, they unexpectedly received a permit a few days later. [8] In 1968 Zátopek invited the Australian Ron Clarke to visit his home. Zátopek knew the bad luck that Clarke had faced; he held many middle distance track and field world records and had attempted to join his idol in the record books, but had fallen short in winning an Olympic gold medal (he was beaten by Billy Mills in one of the biggest upsets in Olympic history). At the end of the visit, Zátopek gave his 10,000 m gold medal from the 1952 Olympics to Clarke.

[6] Later years and death[ edit ] A hero in his native country, Zátopek was an influential figure in the Communist Party . However, he supported the party's democratic wing, and after the 1968 Prague Spring , he was stripped of his rank and expelled from the army and the party, [6] removed from all important positions and forced to work in a string of inferior and dangerous positions, such as a uranium mine, refuse collection service, and well digging. On 9 March 1990, Zátopek was rehabilitated by Václav Havel . Zátopek died in Prague on 22 November 2000 at the age of 78, from the complications of a stroke . His funeral at Prague's National Theatre was crowded with leading figures from the international sports world. [6] He was awarded the Pierre de Coubertin medal posthumously in December 2000. In 2012, he was named among the first twelve athletes to be inducted into the IAAF Hall of Fame .

[9] A life-size bronze statue of Zátopek was unveiled at the Stadium of Youth in Zlín in September 2014. [10] 1952 Olympics 1952 Olympics Sailing The Soviet Union returned to the Olympic fold in 1952 after a 40-year absence, a period of time that included a revolution and two world wars. Ironically, the Soviets chose to make their comeback in Finland, a country they had invaded twice during World War II. This time it was the United States that was surprised by the Soviets, and the USA had to scramble on the last day of competition to hold off the USSR's assault on first place in the overall standings. It was the beginning of an all-consuming 36-year Cold War rivalry. Despite the Soviets' impressive debut, it was a Communist from another Iron Curtain country who turned in the most memorable individual performance of the Games. Emil Zátopek of Czechoslovakia, the 10,000-meter champion in London, not only repeated at 10,000 meters, but also won at 5,000 and in the marathon–an event he had never run before.

He also set Olympic records in each race and topped it off by watching his wife Dana Zátopková win the women's javelin. Zátopek's unique triple was wildly applauded by the distance-minded Finns, but their greatest outburst came in the opening ceremonies when legendary countryman Paavo Nurmi, now 56, ran into the stadium with the Olympic torch and handed it off to another native legend Hannes Kolehmainen, now 62, who lit the flame to start the Games. Also, Harrison Dillard of the U.S. won the 110-meter hurdles. In 1948, Dillard, the world's best hurdler, failed to qualify for the hurdles and won the 100-meter dash instead. The Times Emil Zatopek, whose ungainly style belied an extraordinary running talent, in his prime Emil Zatopek, 1922-2000 The prototype of a long line of Czech sporting figures, Emil Zatopek was one of the greatest distance runners ever to grace the track.

For a period of six years, 1948-54, he was supreme in the 10,000 metres, an event in which he repeatedly lowered the world record. Time and time again his blistering pace projected him into a sphere of athletics excellence where opponents simply could not survive. So complete was his supremacy that the race itself ceased, in his great years, to be the point for him, and he had to motivate himself by keeping the world record steadfastly before him. In the 1950 European championships, for example, he was a colossal 69 seconds ahead of the second placed athlete at the finish. And at the same meeting in the 5,000 metres ï¿½ an event at which he also excelled without enjoying quite the same unchallenged superiority for quite so long ï¿½ he came home 23 seconds clear of the opposition. His most astonishing Olympic Games was in 1952 at Helsinki, where he won the 5,000 metres, 10,000 metres and the marathon, even though the last event was his first attempt at the distance.

Over a period of five years, 1949-54, he slashed more than half a minute off his 10,000 metre time, lowering his own world record from 29min 28.2sec to 28min 54.2sec. His 5,000 metres world record of 1954, 13min 57.2sec, was almost 20 seconds faster than the time he had posted at the 1948 Olympics when coming in second. Statistics apart, Zatopek was one of the great personalities of the track. To the casual observer, his tortured expression, red face, lolling tongue and audible wheezings might have suggested a man in no physical condition to be participating in running races. Those hapless opponents toiling fruitlessly in his wake were in a position to testify to the contrary. He owed his remarkable results to a natural ability allied to his relentless exposition of the principles of Fartlek ï¿½ speed-training of Swedish origin ï¿½ which banished for ever the until then hallowed long-distance running concept of the ï¿½steady paceï¿½.

Instead of training over race-length distances, Zatopek subjected himself to a series of punishing 400-metre sprints, ï¿½relaxingï¿½ in between them with 250 metres at the jog. This was the secret of those electrifying bursts of speed which he was capable of suddenly injecting into a race, completely upsetting his opponentsï¿½ calculations and destroying their collective will. Zatopekï¿½s prowess on the track earned him immense prestige in Czechoslovakia. But neither prowess nor prestige could protect him from the agents of state repression in the wake of the Soviet occupation of his country in 1968. In one of the more shameful codicils to the Russian crushing of Czech reformist aspirations, Zatopek was, as a signatory of Alexander Dubcekï¿½s Manifesto of 2,000 Words, stripped of his army rank, his Communist Party membership and his job. For the next 30 years he lived in obscurity, performing largely menial tasks, even after he had, in error, signed up to a qualified acceptance of the post-1968 status quo.

When rehabilitation came with the collapse of the Soviet empire it found him broken in health and no longer able to perform the ambassadorial role on behalf of Czech sport for which he had been so manifestly fitted in those lost years. Zatopek and his wife Dana, had one of the great sporting marriages. A javelin thrower, Dana Zatopkova, too, won gold at the 1952 Olympics and at the 1954 European championships. And she was to carry on after he had retired to win gold again at the 1958 European championships in Stockholm. Emil Zatopek was born in 1922 in Koprivnice, in Moravia, and grew up in Zlin, the home of Bata shoes. He himself worked at the Bata factory whose director persuaded him to take part in a sponsored 1,500 metre race, one day in 1940. Without having trained, he came second in a field of 100 youths and was persuaded to take the sport seriously. With his country dominsted by Nazi Germany athletics provided an outlet for frustrated ambition for a young man over the next few years. Zatopek experimented relentlessly.

He trained in heavy army boots to make his feet feel lighter on race days. He wore a gas mask to see if it helped his breath control. (It didnï¿½t.) When the curfew forced him indoors he ran on the spot in a spare room. In 1944 he broke the Czech records for 2,000, 3,000 and 5,000 metres. Selected for the Czech team for the 1946 European champioships in Oslo, he came fifth, bringing his Czech record of 14min 50.2sec, established the previous year, down to 14 min 25.8sec. By todayï¿½s standards this was a late start to an international career, but Zatopek in his mid-twenties showed he had plenty more to offer. The Finnish world record holder, Viljo Heino, was expected to dominate the 10,000 metres at the 1948 Olympics in London.

But after a fierce battle lasting 15 laps Zatopek burnt the Finn off with his repeated bursts of acceleration, going on to win from the Frenchman Alain Mimoun by a margin of almost 48 seconds. The very next day was his 5,000 metre heat and only two days after that was the final. Gustav Reiff of Belgium opened a 40-metre gap on Zatopek and appeared to have the race in the bag as they entered the last lap. But Zatopek mounted a furious charge over the last 400 metres and had closed to within two metres at the tape. These London performances were the beginning of Zatopekï¿½s reign as the undisputed king of the distance runners. In the 1950 European championships he avenged himself on Reiff after a pulsating battle in which the Belgian led for four-fifths of the race, until a burst of acceleration from the Czech broke his heart and reduced him to a canter in which he was passed by Mimoun for second place. Three days earlier, Zatopek had won the 10,000 metres from Mamoun by 69 seconds.

In the following year he became the first man to run 20,000 metres in under an hour, completing the distance in 59min 51.6.sec. Among Zatopekï¿½s achievements at Helsinki in 1952, the most memorable of his three races ï¿½ and undoubtedly his severest test ï¿½ was the 5,000 metres. The leaders of the field, which included the young Chris Chataway, Herbert Schade of Germany and Mimoun, were closely bunched at the bell, and Chataway launched a courageous attempt to get away from the group down the back straight. But as they rounded the last curve Zatopek put in an unanswerable burst; the hapless Chataway tripped on the kerb and fell; and the other two could find no answer to this dramatic raising of the stakes. Zatopek covered the last lap in 58.1 secs to take the tape in one of the purest displays of sheer competitive aggression ever seen on the track. In the end the years and injury took their toll.

From 1953 the star of Vladimir Kuts, of Ukraine, was in the ascendant on the international scene. And although at Berne in 1954 Zatopek easily won the 10,000 metres in which Kuts did not participate, he had to concede to the Ukrainian in the 5,000, in which he came third behind Chataway. In 1955 Zatopek set the last two of his 18 world records, for 15 miles and 25,000 metres. The following year he retired from competition after coming sixth in the marathon at the Melbourne Olympics, a performance doubtless affected by a previous operation for hernia. Thereafter he worked as a coach in the Czech Army, rising to the rank of colonel. Until 1968 his life continued peacefully, but both he and his wife were in the front line of opinion which supported the Prague spring reforms of Alexander Dubcek. Both were signatories of the Manifesto and when, in August that year, the tanks rolled into Prague, Emil Zatopek went to Wenceslas Square to remonstrate with their crews.

Hailed as ï¿½our Olympic championï¿½ by the crowds as he did so, he was bound to be a conspicuous target when reprisals began. Dismissed from the army, he joined that band of dissident Czechs who found themselves part of the best-educated manual work force in any European country. For some years he dug and shovelled for a geological team searching for minerals in a remote part of the country. When western journalists asked to interview him he was always ï¿½not availableï¿½. Finally he was given a job by the Czech sports ministry, reading foreign sports periodicals and reporting on what coaches outside Czechoslovakia were doing. He and his wife both retired in 1980 and thereafter they lived quietly, he in a state of gradually deteriorating health which had involved him in several periods in hospital. Dana Zatopkova survives him. They had no children. Copyright 2000 Times Newspapers Ltd . This service is provided on Times Newspapers' standard terms and conditions . To inquire about a licence to reproduce material from The Times, visit the Syndication website . Athletics

Question: Emil Zatopek won the 5000 and 10000 metres at the 1952 Olympics. In which event did his wife Dana also win a gold medal?
Answer: Javelin